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Images and material are copyright Judi Carpenter and may not be used for monetary gain. SU! artwork copyright 1990-2008 The content of this website is my sole responsibility as an independent Stampin' Up! demonstrator and the use of and content of the classes, services, or products offered on the web site is not endorsed by Stampin' Up!

January 02, 2012

January 3rd is the final day to order from the Holiday Mini Catalog!

I realize this is a last minute notice, but I didn't want you not to hear about it in case you had forgotten, in the flurry and excitement of the holidays!

If you already have a demonstrator, by all means contact her now. If you don't, I would be honored to serve you. Visit my Stampin' Up! websiteto place your order online. Or call or email me, but to be certain your order gets in by the end of the day on January 3rd, the online order option is the best.

Something I want to share with you: the neat Stocking Builder Punch will NOT be coming back in the next catalog. I was so sad to learn this, since this is one of my favorite punches and coordinates with the Stitched Stockings stamp set. So if you think you'll be wanting to make stocking-based projects (and don't think just Christmas; this punch and stamp set are perfect for baby cards and lots of other themes, like guy cards from the neat argyle pattern stock stamp!), then you'll want to order this combination now!

The stamp set and punch are shown on paage 34 of the Holiday Mini Catalog. If you don't have one or can't find it (I know I've buried a lot of stuff in the holiday cleanup attempt), you can view it by visiting my website. And as always, if you have any questions, please get in touch with me right away!

December 22, 2011

Christmas is nearly here! Yes, I know; you already knew that. But I'm actually almost ready, and that's amazing. Tonight I finished making my Christmas cards and even got a letter put together to catch friends and family up on our doings for the last year or so.

As soon as I finished the cards and got them all laid out to finish drying, I thought of you. I wanted to share my card with everyone, not just those I would be mailing it to. I wish I could have made enough to send everyone a real life card, but that would have taken me until next July! And you're thinking I'm joking, aren't you? Well, maybe I am, but you get the idea. I still have some gifts to wrap after I take inventory and make sure nobody got slighted. I love seeing lots of presents under the tree, so sometimes little everyday things get wrapped as presents. I've always done that, so my kids always had lots of presents to unwrap. Some thrilled them more than others, of course. But they did enjoy that, and it's really hard to quit giving them lots of stuff.

So here's the card:

My scan doesn't do the card justice! The black is a sheet of Basic Black cardstock I placed behind the card so the edges would show. It's a very simple card. I knew I would never get cards made at all if I chose a complicated design. I wonder if you can tell the little red dots are something special? That's a little 'sneak peek' from the new Occasions Mini Catalog that will go live on January 4th. It's the new Cherry Cobbler Dazzling Details, a super easy way to apply a little glitz to a card. It's going to be wonderful for Valentines, too, don't you think? The Occasions Mini catalogs should be out by now, and if you haven't received yours, just let me know and I'll get one in the mail to you. Since Sale-a-Bration will begin on January 24th, there is going to be a stampin' frenzy comin' up! You'll want to be there. It's that simple.

I know you have things to do so I won't keep you much longer. Just want to remind you of the special sale going on over at my website on the Clearance Rack. Some deals you will love on products you've been wanting. And now you can save up to 80% on them! So visit my website (www.judicarpenter.stampinup.net) and click on the buy now spot up there in the upper right part of the screen or on the big Clearance promotion picture. Either one will take you into my Clearance Rack, where you can have fun saving money.

You'll notice that there are few products used on this card. I wanted to show you that a nice card doesn't have to be a bank account killer. Nor does it have to take hours to put together. I can help you learn how to handle your stamping wants and not need that second mortgage! Just give me a call and let's talk!

I hope your holidays, whatever ones you celebrate, are the best ever and that the New Year brings you much happiness. And I hope you'll come back to visit me often. I would appreciate your comments. It's the only way I have of knowing you were here....

November 29, 2011

Just a quick hello and a reminder that the Online Extravaganza ends tomorrow, November 30th. You can save 20 - 60% on products now, but soon those deals will be gone. Go check them out NOW! All you have to do is go to my website (www.judicarpenter.stampinup.net) and click on the 'shop now' button at the upper right of the page, then click on the big Online Extravaganza spot. Do be sure you land in my website, though, ok? I'm hearing that sometimes, for unknown reasons, you might not. My name is at the top. Once you are looking at the special deals, I understand that you can see the sale prices if you hover your cursor over the item description. And, as always, if you run into any snags, please don't hesitate to call me. I'm usually up pretty late, anyway, and your call will make me feel needed. Everybody needs to feel needed.

I hope you had a great Thanksgiving and that there's not too much leftover turkey at your house, unless you really love leftover turkey. We aren't overly fond of leftovers in general at our house, but we had repeats for dinner tonight and they weren't half bad. Any time I don't have to cook is a good time lately. I'd really rather stamp. Wouldn't you??

Lest you feel you have been deprived of a pretty thing to look at, I'll share a card with you.

Kinda cute, isn't it? The sleigh was made using the Top Note die! Yup. I did some creative cutting to make it look like an old-fashioned sleigh. And there are some other dies and punches involved here, too. If you would like to know more about the card, just leave a comment for me and I'll let you know how it was all done (no smoke or mirrors involved). In the meantime, hop on over to my website and take a gander at the Online Extravaganza. You'll be glad you did. And as always, thanks for stopping by. I enjoy our little visits.

November 21, 2011

Take a little time out from your pre-holiday preparations and take a look at some great prices on products you'll love. The Stampin' Up! Online Extravaganza begins today, Monday, November 21st and runs through the 30th. But don't wait to check it out. There are two products that are on a special one-day only sale and they are fantastic products you'll want for better, easier holiday crafting. Click here to see them!

The first two items are the ones that are time-limited. There are lots of other great products on sale, too. Maybe it's time to gift yourself! Or make out your Wish List, give it to your significant others and to me, then tell them that all they have to do is contact me. Shopping has never been easier or quicker. And by putting together that Wish List and having folks contact me, there won't be any duplication. Plus, I'll be happy to gift-wrap your chosen gift items if you are in the Decatur, Illinois, area. Can't beat that!!

November 07, 2011

Yes, it really will! I love seeing a creative idea and then copying it. Nothing ever looks as good in a picture as it does in real life, I've found. And it is so fun to pull out pieces of cardstock, talking to myself as I go (yes, I really do that; it's my dirty little secret. Well, it was a secret until just now, I guess....), then building the card. I feel so clever when it comes together like it's supposed to. Sometimes it doesn't and other times, I get inspired to make the project truly my own, so I try other stuff. Then the finished card is way different from the one I started out to copy. Ever do that yourself? If so, you know how much fun that can be, too. All this to end by saying that creating is fun. Just plain fun. It makes me feel all warm inside to make something really pretty or just darn cute. And then it makes me feel good all over again when someone tells me how cool it is and how much they like it. So now you know I love to get comments. Yup, I thrive on compliments. Love 'em. So get ready to throw some my way. I have to admit, though, that this card originated elsewhere. My stampin' sister, Jan, created the original. Mine looks very much like hers. Sometimes you just can't improve on a project, and this was one of those times. Are you ready? Hold onto your socks, girls, cause here it comes:

I decided to let you see this one in larger form, so you could really get a handle on how gorgeous it is. As Jan would say, YILM (that's 'Yes, I Love Myself' for those who were wondering, and it's said with tongue in cheek and in that little girl excited voice). Because this is one fantastic card. I wish I could just stick it inside the line and send it over to your house so you could hold it in your hot little hands and say "whoo hoo! That is one gorgeous card!" before you sent it back to me, because I'm not lettin' this one out of my hands for long.

OK, wanna know how to do this? Oh, I wish I could just torment you a little longer, but I'll be fair. Wouldn't want you to have a hissy fit now, would I? Notice how the doily looks like it's behind the wheat stalk arrangement? How in the world could that be, when the Hello Doily is clearly embossed? It's a trick done with mirrors. Oh, that's for the magic show to follow this post (not really). It's not a trick at all. I just stamped the image of the wheat stalks first, then stamped Hello Doily with Versamark, then embossed with Clear embossing powder. All of this on Very Vanilla cardstock. Then I did some serious sponging to bring out the embossed image, after which I gently rubbed the embossed image with a crumpled paper towel. I finished by spritzing More Mustard all over the card with my Color Spritzing Tool (one nifty tool that works great when I want just a little splatter of inky dots here or there). And notice that nifty punch that's stamped with 'Happy Thanksgiving' from Teeny Tiny Wishes? Ever seen that punch before? Well, you have and might not have known you could do cool things with the Decorative Label Punch! And I can teach you how to do that. I'm going to be offering a class focusing on punches soon, and I promise I'll let you in on the secret then. In the meantime, just continue to visit me here and I'll try to keep you happy with creative inspiration and a little silly patter. That's it for tonight, but here are the products used on this card:

And, as always, you can order any or all of the above by visiting my website (www.judicarpenter.stampinup.net), emailing me at JCarpy02@aol.com (zero by the 2), or calling me at (217) 875-0092. I'd be thrilled to hear from you. I'd also be thrilled if you would leave a comment here so I'll know you stopped by to visit me. Thanks. I hope you'll come back again soon. Til then, get those fingers inky, huh? You'll be glad you did!

November 06, 2011

Can you believe it? Yes, it's been TEN years since I signed up with Stampin' Up! so I could get my stampin' supplies at a great discount. It's been a fun 10 years, and I thank you for your support during that time. And now it seems appropriate to celebrate by doing some special things. So during the month of November, I'll be holding several events designed to knock your socks off. The first will be an Open House event this Monday and Tuesday, November 7th and 8th. Yes, that's coming up really soon. I'd have let you know sooner, except that I just decided tonight. And so I do apologize for that part, but I hope you'll plan to stop by for a little stampin' project or two, some refreshments (think chocolate...) and some fun with stampin' friends. I hope we'll get to chat a bit, too. I so appreciate you! You can let me know you're coming (so I have your stampin' projects ready for you) by either phoning me at 217-875-0092 or emailing me at JCarpy02@aol.com. That's a zero in front of the 2. I know; goofy email address, but I've had it for years and I'm not sure I could learn a new one at this point in my life. Thanks for understanding.

I'd like to share a card with you real quickly. I started this post earlier, and then my internet provider (yeah, it's AOL...) went goofy and wiped my lovely post off the face of the earth. Or it could be floating out there in cyberspace, but I don't think there's any way to rein it in, so I'm forced to reconstruct. And it was pretty good, too, darn it anyway. I was planning to show you two cards tonight, but I'm going to wait to show you the second one. That will be in a post tomorrow (and I PROMISE I will do that; I just need to go to bed now so I won't be a total spaced-out person in church tomorrow; having to type everything twice has just about finished me for tonight). I appreciate your patience.

Here's the card. It's simple so it would be easy to make a bunch of them to send to friends and family. Let's take a look first, then I'll tell you all about it:

Yes, it's a little wonky - again- as my scanner does that to me sometimes, even though I'd swear I put that thing on there nice and straight. sigh. The card base is Very Vanilla (great for subtle earthtone cards, I think), with the stamped layer of Crumb Cake (used to be Kraft, but don't you agree that Crumb Cake is way more yummy? And since Thanksgiving definitely is a yum factor holiday, I think it's a better name.). The ribbon is our amazing 1/2" Scallop Dots Ribbon in More Mustard (there we go, another food name). I used my Stamp-a-ma-jig to stamp the second partial row of trees. That thing is amazing, an absolute must-have tool for every stamper who likes to do great work. I also used it to stamp Thanksgiving on the ribbon. I could never have got that straight without it, and I would probably have ruined a bunch of ribbon trying. Better to just get a Stamp-a-ma-jig and use it! I cut the leaf cluster out with my Paper Snips, the absolute best tool for cutting around images. Hint: when cutting out images, leave a smidgeon of space around the image for the best visual effect, and also move the paper, not the snips. As with all things, practice will make you a really great snipper! I would be happy to help you learn this trick. Just ask. No one will have to know. It will be our little secret. I used some Stampin' Dimensionals to adhere the leaf cluster and raise it up just a bit for added visual interest.

Here are the products I used to make the card, along with the catalog page and item numbers so you can locate them easily when you place your order:

Of course, you can order your Stampin' Up! product from me by contacting me directly or by going through my website (www.judicarpenter.stampinup.net). You'll get the best pricing if you go through my website. Just look for the 'order now' spot at the top of the home page and you'll be good to go. Oh, yes! You could even give me your order when you come to my Celebration Open House on Monday, if you live in central Illinois anywhere near Decatur. But I'll always be happy to help you with your stamping questions if you email or call me. The information is the same as you'll use to RSVP for my Open House (217-875-0092 or JCarpy02@aol.com, if you don't want to look back up at the earlier section of this post.

Well, I'm now getting punchy, and who knows how many typos I've made. I hope you'll just snicker up your sleeve and understand that sleep deprivation does that to a person. And I hope you'll have a great rest of the weekend! Thanks for stopping by. Don't forget to come back tomorrow or Monday, ya hear?

August 04, 2011

Please be nice! My last post featured a card using the Decorative Label Punch with a layer. I promised you all that I would put together a little tutorial to show how I created the back layer for the Decorative Label Punch. Well, that has turned out to be a lot more work than I thought it would be. I now have a new appreciation for all those lovely people who do tutorials regularly. Mine is kinda pitiful next to theirs, but here goes:

Making a background layer with the Decorative Label Punch

Step 1: Punch the Decorative Label Punch twice from desired cardstock or paper. In my illustration below, I've used Early Espresso for contrast. That's what I used on the card, as well. Cut each punched piece as shown by white gel pen lines (used only for illustration purposes). Trim the points from the ends of the horizontal (long) punched pieces. If you don't, they will show on your finished piece.

Step 2: Apply strips of SNAIL adhesive on the back along both horizontal (long) edges of the stamped, punched piece you wish to layer (mine was the piece stamped "memories" shown above complete with layer).

Step 3: Place your first cut horizontal piece flat on table. Hold the point down and carefully place the stamped and punched piece so the back edge is the width you want it to be. Press into place. Repeat with the second piece.

Step 4: Apply SNAIL adhesive to the ends of the stamped, punched piece (on the back, of course). Adhere to the cut punched piece as in Step 4. Cutting the side pieces to a point eliminates additional thickness and makes a tidy layer.

Thanks for your patience! Obviously, I have much work to become a good tutorial writer. If you encourage me with comments, I'll try harder....lol!

Thanks for stopping by and if you have any questions about this little trick, please do ask and I'll try my best to answer to your satisfaction. And happy punching and stamping!

July 29, 2011

Well, Convention 2011 is now a memory. It was fantastic and I can tell you that I created a lot of memories I will treasure for a long time. From seeing friends made during the past ten (yes, TEN!) years of conventions to all the FREE product Stampin' Up! blessed us with this year to the displays that were out of this world, convention was a real PlusOne experience. That's the Stampin' Up! theme this year, PlusOne. And at convention they kept giving us PlusOne, from more giveaways to additional inspiration and creative ideas. I was totally worn out when I got home, but I was also re-energized to share with you! So let's get started!

Here is a card I designed when I was working on my New Catalog Debut event:

I need to work more at photography, as you can see. I have a very nice digital camera, but it scares me, so I scanned this card, placing it on a Soft Suede background so you can see the edges of the card, which is Very Vanilla. I wanted a somewhat vintage look and I think Very Vanilla is the right choice for that. Would you agree?

The card evolved this way: I love the new Ribbon Border Punch, so I punched out a strip using Early Espresso. I love the deep richness of that color! I threaded a piece of Very Vanilla 1/8" Taffeta Ribbon through the punched piece, added a little bow, and placed it against a strip of the tiny stripe paper from the Mocha Morning Specialty DSP. That package is a gotta have item! This is just one of the nifty sheets you'll love using if you can keep yourself from hoarding it (ask me how I know about hoarding!). Those two items were good together, but I felt it wasn't finished yet. So I punched a coordinating border using the Scallop Trim Border punch. Now I felt like I was getting somewhere! A final layer of the tiny striped DSP backed with another Early Espresso piece just made my heart sing! Then on to making a card using that completed element.

The flourish found in Creative Elements spoke to me, so I stamped it using Soft Suede to cover the front of my Very Vanilla card. We're getting somewhere now! I contemplated greetings and decided that the Memories stamp from another new set called Frame It (a gorgeous set for vintage stamping) would be perfect. I stamped the sentiment on Very Vanilla cardstock, punched it out with the Decorative Label Punch, and sponged the edges lightly with Crumb Cake ink using a Sponge Dauber (those things are great for what I call 'targeted' sponging, making it very easy to control just how much sponging I do as well as where I put it).

I made a backing layer using the Decorative Label Punch again. Notice how nice it looks? I know you will want to know how I did that, so I'll be putting a small tutorial together and will try to get it posted tomorrow. So be sure you come back. My method is different from any I have seen, and many of my stampin' friends love it!

I inked the butterfly from Creative Elements with Peach Parfait ink and outlined the stamp with my Soft Suede marker before stamping it on a scrap of Very Vanilla cardstock. I used my Paper Snips (which are perfect for making fine cuts and come with a protective case which keeps me from poking myself with them) to cut the butterfly out. I adhered it to the card with a Mini Glue Dot applied just to the center so I can 'fluff' the wings up a bit.

You can order these products by emailing me, calling me (217-875-0092), or by visiting my Stampin' Up! website. By going through my website, you'll get the best possible prices on product and shipping. If you have any questions, please holler!

Don't forget to come back tomorrow or Sunday to see my Decorative Label Punch tutorial! Thanks for dropping by. I love it when you comment!

December 22, 2010

It hardly seems possible that Christmas is nearly here. But the gifts I need to wrap are reminding me that time is, indeed, passing quickly and soon the big day will be here. Tomorrow we leave to spend the holidays with my kids, so I'm running out of time for lots of things. But I didn't want to leave without wishing everyone a memorable time with family and friends. And I want to share at least one Christmas card with you, too. So here goes!I apologize for the slightly off-kilter angle of this card. It just gives you an idea of how I'm feeling right now - slightly off and needing to get straightened back out! But my wish is sincere, even if my scanning leaves something to be desired. Let me tell you a little about the card. I wanted to use my new Builder Wheels (so cool; you can use one, two, or three with a Jumbo handle and the Builder Wheel Spindle and Spacers), so I chose the two I liked and left the middle empty, because I wanted to use a ribbon there. I like the way that worked. I wheeled in Real Red, then used my Real Red and Old Olive markers to color in some of the areas of the ornaments. If you have questions, just leave me a comment and I'll get back to you as soon as I can.

Just a note: A Cute Christmas, the two Builder Wheels, and the Glimmer Brads are in the Holiday Mini Catalog and may not be available after January 3rd. If you would like some of these products for your own crafting pleasure, you may order through my website, where you will receive the lowest possible prices for product and shipping.

And now, I must be on to wrapping some gifts! I hope you've enjoyed your visit to my blog and that you'll return again soon. I'm not one to make New Year's Resolutions, but I'm going to promise you that I am going to work on posting more often. I have so much I want to share with you! In the meantime, may your holidays be warm and wonderful and may you build memories to warm your future.